Update on yesterday’s piece ...
A London-based Arab magazine said yesterday that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has vowed to launch a "back-breaking attack" on the United States by February, confirming an earlier message by the militant network. The weekly Al-Majalla said it received an e-mail from Abu Mohammed Al Ablaj, a little known Al Qaeda member, saying Bin Laden would release a video tape in which he affirms his group’s determination to fight the US. "A messenger of Bin Laden informed him (Ablaj) that the Al Qaeda leader will appear on a televised tape after the execution of an operation which Bin Laden described as back-breaking and which would change the order of things," Al Majalla said. "They (Americans) should prepare ... their coffins, hospitals and graves. The coming days will be full of surprises and great events which will make them a historic example." In the e-mail, which could not be immediately authenticated, Ablaj echoed his previous statement carried by Al-Majalla in November saying the attack would take place before a Muslim feast early next year.
Most al-Qaeda threats are a fair deal of bluster, but al-Ablaj’s have this nasty way of coming true in the case of both Riyadh bombing and then the Istanbooms. He’s definitely worth keeping an eye on even after he’s toes up given the jihadi penchant for having multiple lives.
| I know, and most readers here know, that you can't protect against everything, and that a small group of people can wreak major havoc, cause major casualties. If their luck is really, really, really bad they'll manage to score a major attack within the U.S. in an election year. |
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